Syria - Palmyra, Italian Archeological Mission
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Episode 9 - New Goals 1 - Recognise and protect our diverse identities and our
common heritage
Preservation and Development
Project implemented by the Government of Syria
Palmyra, Syria
November 2010
Project co-financed by the Ministry for External Affairs, Government of Italy
Located in a Syrian desert oasis halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates, the ancient Syrian city of Tadmor (تدمر) , or Palmyra, was a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert. It was known as the Bride of the Desert. Palmyra grew extraordinarily in importance during the Roman Empire between the 1st and the 3rd century AD. The prosperity and wealth of the "caravan city", according to the Russian historian Rostovzev, was due to its position along the trade routes. The publication of the volume, "The ruins of Palmyra" edited by Robert Wood and James Dawkins, in 1753, aroused great interest in Europe, especially in the wonderful drawings the Italian architect, Giovanni Battista Borra, made on site during his two weeks tour with the two Englishmen, in 1751.
In 2007, as a consequence of the first agreement between the Università degli Studi of Milan and the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums of Damascus (DGAM), a joint Italian-Syrian archaeological mission was formed. Its aim has been is to conduct research in the south-western quarter of Palmyra. This is a central quarter of the ancient city, measuring c.547 x 281 m and c.114.000 m2 wide, delimited by the Agorà, the Diocletian's Walls, the Damascus Transverse Street and the Great Colonnade Street. The mission is also supported by the Ministry for External Affairs of the Government of Italy. The mission has found many important historical evidences that have informed contemporary research on Roman sites. Palmyra has been on the World heritage List of UNESCO since 1980 and continues to enchant the many visitors who, thanks to such cooperation projects, can now easily reach what looks like, at first glance, an immense forest of columns.
“Only big findings
make news but the public does not know that these are based on intense
research carried on every day wherein we continue to find small evidence. The
media never communicates the importance of these smaller missions”, complains
an Italian archaeologist.
Additional Information
The Italian-Syrian Archaeological Mission
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